Page 24 of Shadow Master
Unease pricked at my scalp. “No. It’s just not the right time for all the romance shit, you know?”
Lloyd’s smile was wry. “Justice, a time like this is exactly the right time to love and be loved. Without it, what the fuck are we fighting for, eh?”
He was right, as usual. “I’m not good with relationships.”
“That’s not true.” His gaze softened. “You managed to cultivate a bond with my troop easily enough. Harmon, Brady, Carlo…” His throat bobbed. “Carlo fucking loved you, Indigo. He cared about you … more than he showed.”
My stomach tightened. “Yeah, I loved him too. I fucking miss him.”
Lloyd looked down at the ground. “You have us, Justice. You have us all, and we care about you. This”—he waved a finger between him and me—“thisisa relationship. What you have with Aidan and Devon is a relationship. When it comes to love and romance, you get bumps in the road. Question is, do you let the bump stop you, or do you ride the fuck over it? Only you can decide if the journey and the effort are worth it. So.” He arched a brow. “Is Kash worth it?”
“Yes.” The word fell easily from my lips. “Yes, he’s worth it.”
“Then you know what you have to do.”
“I’ll speak to Kash.” Truth was, I’d missed his banter and optimism the past week. “I need to go to the Academy anyway. I need to tell Orion I’m leaving.”
Lloyd blinked down at me. “You’re going after Brady.”
I nodded. “Things are in control here, as best as they’re going to get for now anyway. I can’t wait any longer. Brady needs me.”
Lloyd’s jaw ticked. “Then I’m coming with you.”
“No. I need you here as my second. I need someone I can trust watching over the cadets.”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but I held my hand up to stall him. “There is no one else who can do this. The cadets look up to you. With Aidan and Devon at your side, you can do this. I don’t trust Orion to take over, and if I take you guys with me, I don’t think there’s anyone strong enough to stand up to him.”
“What about Hyde?”
“Hyde’s a feyblood, and Orion is the fucking father of feybloods. As much as I admire Hyde, I doubt he would be able to say no to the man who’s responsible for his existence.”
Lloyd inhaled deeply. “Fine. But you can’t go into enemy territory alone.”
“She won’t be alone,” Harmon said.
How the fuck had he approached us without either of us noticing? The guy was huge and stompy.
“I’m going with you, Indie,” Harmon said. “And so is Athos. We talked about it last night.”
“You understand him?”
“Not in words, but in intent. I can’t explain it.”
I looked past Harmon to see the hound watching us. The huge beast inclined his head, his red-rimmed eyes fixed on me.
Having Harmon and Athos with me could be useful. Having them with me would make the whole fucking thing less scary.
“Okay. You guys can come.”
“And you need a plan,” Lloyd said.
“My plan is to get Brady back.”
“But how do you intend to do that?”
“By any means necessary.”
Yes, I sounded stubborn as hell even to my own ears, but there was no planning for a world we’d never seen.
